Show a real forceful...
 

And frenzy dance.....:lurk:

At some point during the war BdU did issue orders directing u-boats to stay on the surface and fight it out with enemy aircraft.

IIRC they rescinded the order after it became clear that this only resulted in a greater number of boats and crews being lost while doing virtually nothing to discourage or limit the effectiveness of Allied air attacks.

Staying on or near the surface and trying to attack anything when you have two Allied DDs and two Allied aircraft within range to attack you borders on the suicidal. Especially later in the war when Allied ASW tactics and weapons far outstrip a u-boat's ability to evade them.

As soon as you launch any kind of attack, they will know you're there - if they don't already - and even if you destroy one enemy craft in the process, you will still have three more to deal with (and maybe more if the merchants are armed).

Medals and renown don't mean much if you're not alive to enjoy them!:03:

i think we should hold a moment of silence for the 4 captains who chose to attack

:rotfl2:

Very good! :salute:

They see the hole picture...Success
 

And want to clean up the water in "the death of valley"

The post above about ASW, and the progress in the war can be various in many way.So least 4 Captain see more than suicide.

Renown and reputation is substitute.

:lurk:

i dont care what year it is. if your even in hydrophone range of some destroyers, and you engage some planes, the destroyers will be tearing you up with bofors before you shoot the planes down. some of the destroyers seem to haul 27+ knots, so itll only take them 2 minutes to get into visual range, and right then and there youll have accurate 5 inch gun fire from about 6 to 10 guns. just one of those and youre down.

and if you do dive and engage the ships instead of the planes, theyll still be in the area when you hit the ships, and they will strafe and bomb you. and where there are 2 planes, there are always more.

so in the words of our lady captain

I think it would be near suicidal to attack in this situation. There's too much risk to boat and crew to attempt an attack. I have never engaged aircraft, but tend to hide from them. I am there to win the tonnage war, not engage the British air force. Goering's boys can take that job. ;)

True!
 

:salute:

I don't see much difference between 1 and 5. Other than that the crashdive implies haste. I wouldn't choose to make extra noise or more bowspray in this circumstance, so I opted for option 5 (using the action description in the original post). With planes in the air you are not safe at periscope depth either. But as soon as I notice that the enemy responds to my presence I'll go for crashdive. Eitherway, I only attack when I can dictate the situation, not when I have my pants down.

ALARM!!!!!!!!

Evil, evil airplanes....Crash dive.
After a couple of minutes, creep back up to PD and reassess unless my hydrophone operator reports the DD's are coming in for an attack, then stay down and try to evade.

In those few minutes, I would have my WO and his watch crew shot for falling asleep and spotting the merchants at short range :nope:.

:)

I now what you men....
 

Unfortunately air-aid was under this circumference probability rare, in 1943

Refer to:Goering's boys can take that job..

;lurk:

Unfortunately for the u-boat crews, this was very true, especially after the Battle of Britain. What I meant with that statement was that u-boats should not engage aircraft. They just weren't up to the job.

If it was planes alone, crashdive!

The destroyers make it a bit more interesting though. Flank and dive until I'm under about 10m, hit silent running, go deep and pray the planes didn't see me.

Never mind the guys that went in for the attack, it's the poor soul who decided to man the deck and flak guns we should be saying a prayer for!!:eek:

If there is only planes then I stay up and fight it out, good fun shooting down planes:)


Come to think of it, I have shelled a crippled Rodney to the point where it eventual gave up. The fact is main guns where still working made it fun but 99/100 times it will be suicide :)